emaciated
adjective
ema·ci·at·ed
i-ˈmā-shē-ˌā-təd 
-ˈmā-sē-
-ˈmā-sē-
: very thin and feeble especially from lack of nutrition or illness
He was deadly pale and terribly emaciated, with the protruding, brilliant eyes of a man whose spirit was greater than his strength.—
Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan DoyleMy cheek had grown pale with study, and my person had become emaciated with confinement.—Mary Shelley
Mary ShelleyExamples of emaciated in a Sentence
the emaciated bodies of the survivors of the concentration camps
Recent Examples on the Web
Over the rounds of hostage releases, male captives have generally appeared more emaciated than the women, suggesting the men were worse fed.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 26 Feb. 2025
The emaciated boy, whose wrists and ankles were duct taped together, was seen on a Ring camera begging a neighbor for help.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 26 Feb. 2025
At the same time, the images of the emaciated Israeli hostages released on February 8 were a stark reminder to Israel of the urgency of an agreement on the second phase, before more hostages die.
—Philip H. Gordon, Foreign Affairs, 19 Feb. 2025
Israelis were horrified by the sight of three emaciated hostages in an earlier release this month, and revelations about hostages being held alone, barefoot or in chains have increased the pressure on Netanyahu’s government to push ahead with the ceasefire’s next phase.
—Natalie Melzer, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for emaciated
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Christian Edwards, CNN, 26 Feb. 2025
The emaciated boy, whose wrists and ankles were duct taped together, was seen on a Ring camera begging a neighbor for help.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 26 Feb. 2025
At the same time, the images of the emaciated Israeli hostages released on February 8 were a stark reminder to Israel of the urgency of an agreement on the second phase, before more hostages die.
—Philip H. Gordon, Foreign Affairs, 19 Feb. 2025
Israelis were horrified by the sight of three emaciated hostages in an earlier release this month, and revelations about hostages being held alone, barefoot or in chains have increased the pressure on Netanyahu’s government to push ahead with the ceasefire’s next phase.
—Natalie Melzer, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for emaciated
Cite this Entry
“Emaciated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emaciated. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share